By Perry B. Zordyu
USA – Club World Cup finalists Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been impacted by FIFA’s ongoing ban on sleeve advertising, a rule that will remain in effect for the 2025 final.
Chelsea advanced to the final after a routine win over Brazilian side Fluminense, with a brace from João Pedro securing their place in the showpiece event.
PSG followed suit with a dominant 4–0 victory over European giants Real Madrid, thanks to goals from Fabián Ruiz, Ousmane Dembélé, and Gonçalo Ramos. The results set up a high-profile final between Paris and London.
Despite the commercial opportunities such a marquee match presents, neither club will be allowed to display sleeve sponsor logos on their kits. This continues to be a point of contention for sponsors, as FIFA maintains strict uniform regulations for its competitions.
Earlier this year, FIFA reiterated its ban on commercial sleeve advertising, reserving both sleeves for official FIFA branding. According to Article 30.1 of FIFA’s equipment regulations:
“FIFA will supply a sufficient number of players’ sleeve badges with the official competition logo of the Competition, which shall be affixed on the right-hand sleeve of each shirt. A different FIFA campaign logo may be affixed on the left-hand sleeve.
FIFA will communicate to the participating clubs the instructions for use of the players’ sleeve badges.”
In line with these rules, the right sleeve must feature the competition logo, while the left may display a separate FIFA campaign logo — though the specifics of that campaign are still to be announced.
Fans may have noticed that Chelsea typically feature Live Nation as a left sleeve sponsor, while PSG wear Visit Rwanda in the same position. Both will be absent from the kits during the final.
This isn’t the first time football kit designs have clashed with FIFA’s stringent regulations. Over the years, several designs have been banned outright or pulled before reaching production due to non-compliance with FIFA’s equipment standards.
